Briefs: CFCU’s Joseph During honored, Spirit of Tompkins Freeville photo

Joseph During honored with Director Emeritus title from CFCU

The CFCU Community Credit Union Board has voted to honor Joseph “Joe” During with the title of Director Emeritus, posthumously. During is the first CFCU Board member to receive such a recognition. The title of Director Emeritus honors retiring Board members who have successfully served their term(s) on the Board and made significant contributions to the Board and/or CFCU’s community. Before During’s passing in January 2021, he served 18 years on CFCU’s Board, many of which included his role as treasurer, bringing industry understanding and inspiring positivity to the organization. “Joe’s service, experience and care were invaluable, and he will surely be missed by all. He effortlessly connected with and advocated for our community and staff. We will be forever grateful that Joe was a part of Team CFCU,” said Lisa Whitaker, president and CEO of CFCU Community Credit Union. During was also very active with several other community organizations, including the Cortlandville Fire District and the United Way of Cortland.

 

 

Spirit of Tompkins recreates 1987 Freeville centennial photo

As part of the countywide Spirit of Tompkins portrait project, nearly 150 Freeville residents and others gathered on Main Street in the village on Sunday, July 4, to have their picture taken by project organizer Robyn Wishna. The event was a reprise of a similar gathering at the same location that Wishna photographed during Freeville’s centennial celebration in 1987, when she was a staff photographer for the Ithaca Journal. About 30 people who were in the 1987 picture were at the event on Sunday and were given “87” signs to hold for the community portrait. A banner reading “FREEVILLE, NY: THE ONE AND ONLY!” was held up by the kids in the front row of the crowd. In remarks delivered during the event, Freeville Mayor David Fogel noted that the village (population 520) is the only municipality in the world named Freeville, commenting that “understandably, people often find that hard to believe, but it’s a fact.” After relating what may well be an apocryphal story about how the original settlement got its name in the early 1800s (verifiable facts about Freeville’s naming have been lost in the mists of time), Fogel thanked Wishna for returning to Freeville after 34 years to photograph the community again and invited her to “come back and do it again for our sesquicentennial, which is just 16 years away.” Visit tinyurl.com/yh5xmmdd for more information about the Spirit of Tompkins. In this photo, Wishna (left) films an interview with Fogel (right, in front of crowd) during the photoshoot, which will soon be available on the Spirit of Tompkins website, spiritoftompkins.org.